Spring in Brazil...last post

So our trip comes to an end, we fly out tomorrow and barring any international snafus should be back in Bozeman by Tuesday. Figured I'd put up some other pictures and continue with the last few vinettes I had regarding my trip down here...and the whole cheesy "so what have you learned sappy crap that I know you all love!"

Vinette 1: Monsoon Season in Brazil and an Obstinant VW Van.

So as I said in my last post we got stuck in the down pours of all down pours, I felt like we should've been building an ark rather than perusing the artisan shops at the beach! And after everything was said and done I saw no rainbow...just more rain! DOH! Below are pictures from that fateful day when dry and cool became but a fond memory replaced by hot as hell underwater! And of course our 'faithful' VW van got us through it all...of course the next day our 'faithful' VW van got its revenge for us making it swim from Guaraja back to Cubatao...just as Carol went to shut the door, it promptly fell off. It was it's way of spitting on us I've decided--'screw you, I'm not going anywhere!'--only it was saying it in Portuguese...because well, it's a Portuguese VW van! We all just kind of stared at it for awhile marvelling at the audacity of the VW van at dropping its door. And although Brazil does have crazy drivers--amazingly enough they do have a minimum standard on the roads here that includes doors need to be on the car/van. And given the seat next to the door had no seat belt and well...we had no door if we attempted to drive the van doorless, we'd probably get a bit of a fine. Just the previous day the VW van 'warned' us by running out of gas and we had to push it out of traffic...unfortunately I didn't get any pictures but it was quite amusing--the speed bumps in missionary work (pun totally intended), but we should've known then that the van was getting pissy with us all! It should be fixed by the time we have to leave for the airport tomorrow night--fingers crossed...or it's going to
get even more interesting figuring out how to get to our flight. Ah...we live for adventure around

here.

Vinette 2: Brazil's Ski LiftOne of the other interesting things that I never thought I would find in the tropical rainforest/Amazon...Brazil in general was a ski lift! San Vicente decided to put a ski lift down at the beach that took sightseers up to the top of a small mountain (molehill to Montana-ites) so that they could take in the view. (Pictures are below) We started at the beach and were taken up and over the freeway which is very unnerving when you are afraid of heights and if the chair lift happens to stop right over the freeway and your chair starts to sway...yeah...just a tad. So up and away we went and the view was incredible. On the way down we saw some monkeys in the forest but I had just put my camera away...stupid me. But they had ringed tails and were adorable and fully annoyed that we were gliding over them. If you didn't want to take the lift you could take a path through the rainforest and enjoy all the mosquitos and spiders that dwelled down there...despite my fear of heights taking the lift was much more exciting. The veiw from the top was really cool.

Vinette 3: The 1915 Cash Machine

So we went and purchased some gifts from a shop in town and she had the coolest cash machine and it actually functioned, I believe she said it was from 1915...so I thought that was cool and here's a picture!

I came to Brazil to figure some stuff out and I think I did and I've made some really good contacts that will be a great asset to me after I graduate. I might be able to get back to Brazil to focus on Dengue which would be awesome. I also have some possible connections in Kenya at the Tenwek hospital and the infectious diseases they study there. I think I was successful at re-focusing and I am so excited now to get back to my thesis, get it done, and move on. I have more deep thoughts (yes, I know amazing huh?) BUT, I will spare you all since this post is long and it's already 1am here! So I can regale you all with tales when I get back over coffee or something!

Alas, I was unable to procure postcards, you'd think they'd be easy to find, but I kept missign them or spacing them out, but I will see you all soon in the states!

Guaraja...beach of the Monsoon!

So the pictures I have for this post are the before pictures, I have to wait for Garrett to download his pictures before I can put up the after pictures of us all beyond drenched in what can only be described as Brazils version of a monsoon!

The day started out beautiful enough, we headed out to Guaraja to go to the beach with everyone and it was gorgeous...'was' being the operative word here. We hung out, chatted, played in the sand and about 2 hours in the lightening started and behind us dark clouds were gathering, still we didn't worry too much because the wind was against us and hopefully blowing the clouds away from the beach..ha ha silly americains. So we headed up to the mall area to grab some lunch and it started sprinkling, we dinked around for abit then headed back to the beach. There was an artesian market nearby to Barbara and I walked over to check out the goods and I actually found some neat stuff.

Then it started raining, harder, and harder...the boys were still out in the ocean in the rain swimming and our bright green umbrella was still a beacon from the shops so we figured, no big deal, we'll hang out at the covered market til the rain dies down...ah...wishful naive thinking indeed--apparently I've never been in a tropical storm in Brazil, you think I'd have a clue given I was raised in Hawaii where it does this sometimes too. So it doesn't let up and eventually Jeremy (Barbara's husband) comes up to us saying we gotta go, we gotta go. So we head back to the car keys in hand while Jeremy goes to get the now soaked stuff on the beach and the guys. So me, Barbara, Kerry, and Shelley book it to the car which is several blocks away running through what can only be described as a waterfall of water! There's damp, there's wet, there's soaked, then there's just god awful bloated with water and that's what we were by the time we made it back to the car! We took refuge in her car til we saw everyone else then split into the two cars and headed off.

The entire city was flooded with water, it was insane, people were having to get off their bikes to wade through the water deluge. A couple accidents happened in front of us so it took us awhile to get to the freeway. It was insane. And hot, so you mix soaked as all heck with the heat of 8 bodies in a metal box we call the faithful VW van we were in and we might as well have stayed in the rain outside because it would've been cooler and drier! It was quite the experience...and actually a lot of fun. I wish I had deluge pictures to post, but another time! We made it back, wrung ourselves out and ate/napped before heading off the youth club to hang out with the kids.

Tomorrow I am on a quest to find postcards to send out! Until tomorrow then..Tchau!

Fala portuguese? and other Vinettes from Brazil...

So despite how badly I pronouce portuguese, I am understanding more and more of it....just via card games. Constant arm waving and incogniant sounds aside :)...we play a game called 'bujo' (boo-hoo) i think that's how it's spelled. It means donkey, so you play the game through putting higher cards over lower cards and doubles over singles, triples over doubles til someone goes out first and becomes the presidente (pde-see-den-chee) 'president' then you have the next person be vice-pres and the last two people are the 'bujo/a' and vice-bujo/a. (bujo if it's a boy, buja if it's girl). And of course they tease you incessantly if you are the donkey...although I did get complemented on my shuffling. Bonus! Met three new friends, Tatiana (Tat-chee-ana), Rodrigo (Hod-drigo), and Michel. Michel and Tatiana were nice enough to give me a ride home after playing cards.

Other things of note in Brazil: They're shower heads are electric, there is a device you snap on essentially that warms the water. Of course in this heat, who the heck would want a warm shower? But it electrically heats the water in about 2 inches of space while the water passes through. And if you happen to touch it..sucks to be you!

We painted one of the missionaries houses today, went well--thanks to some early skillz in painting I learned a couple summers ago they had me 'cut', basically go around windows get the tight spots. It helps to be little as well. Dave was nice enough to handle the huge ladder after being heartily amused watching me struggle with it. Chivalrous indeed, but it was nice of him. I have got to say one of the best feelings after a long day of painting in the hot sun, 96oF with 66% humidity is a cold shower! Well...that and food of course....and sleep.

So we drove by a big building with the words BINGO in bright neon lights and when I looked at Aaron questioningly, he said this is how Brazilians gamble...it's their version of Casino! Bingo night! Wow, our senior citizens would have a hay-day down here, bring it on Brazil-I bet our Seniors can throw down with the best of you Brazilians! :)

Final note: I thought this was neat. So there are pipes that snake through the forest up a hill and at the top is a big plant. Aaron said that this is how Cubatao gets their power, hydroelectrically. So I thought I would share the picture.

Tomorrow we are off to the beach. I have plans to send out postcards which of course will not get to you until after I get back but hey it's the thought that counts! So email me your address if you want a card. Some addresses I have, some I don't.

Luv luv!

Halfway mark...

Ah... blast these portuguese computer, it is definitely a challenge posting with an insecure internet connection that can go down at a moments notice! And all the warnings are in Portuguese, so this will be short because my longer post got erased! So we are now at the halfway mark of our trip. I have already made some fabulous friends. Isabel, Darcio, and Dave.

Isabel is 23 and has a boyfriend back in the states that did a 6 mos internship down here before I came. Darcio is 18 and helps run the youth club down here with our church and Dave is an intern down here for 6 mos. Isabel and Darcio are products of the english classes we help teach down here. Both are fluent in english after 4 years and serve as translators when we need them. Both also look forward to attending college in the U.S. but are in the process of getting passports set up and it is quite a process for a Brazilian to get into the U.S. at all. Isabel is back left, Darcio is next to me and Dave is in back of me. Isabel is so sad that I have to leave Monday and wants me to stay longer. The little kids that we teach as me if I like Brazil and of course I say yes and then they ask why don't I stay. I confess it's crossed my mind, after I finish my degree to come back for abit. The kids down here, even in the most dire conditions have so much energy, hope, and general happiness. They value things taken for granted by so many people in the U.S. like education and clean water. So many have aspirations for making an impact or being the best soccer player in the world like Pele :). In case you've been living in a hole, Soccer is a big deal here. In Brazil nicknames are a huge thing: My nickname is 'mel' because in portuguese it means 'honey' so actually my nickname isn't different from my real nickname in the states. Sydney is skidpants, Garrett is MMF (mommy my feet...) because he is always asking Kerry, his mom, to rub his back, his head, his feet, Isabel is 'sea urchin' and 'little devil' because she is michevious, causes a lot of trouble, teases incessiantly and once impaled her hand on sea urchin spines while at the beach. Dave is 'fogado' which means 'silly boy'. Brazilians get a feel for your personality and almost immediately you have a nickname, it is a way of life. Issy, Darc, and Dave are amazing wonderful people, I am happy I got the chance to get to know them-their aspirations, their dreams and why they got such nicknames :)

Favelas...life in the swamp and other stuff...

Today we went out to the favelas, shantytowns outside of cubatao where those who don't have the money to live in the city squat in the swamp. As you can see, they literally build their houses on stilts in the swamp. At the very end, you can't really see it well there is a fence that the government put up to prevent them from buidling out further into the swamp. We have english schools in these towns where english is taught for free. This is where me, Kerry and Sydney are helping out. We came across and couple ladies who were ranting about how the city had turned off their water so they no longer had clean water. They take old rocks, dirt, and bricks left over from construction sites all around the area and shovel them into the swamp to make solid ground eventually so their houses don't sink. Our church out here works to improve the education of the kids out here that don't have access or money to take english lessons or go to a traditional school. It's a difficult life and you don't venture into a favela after dark--a lot of drug smuggling goes on then and it becomes very dangerous. We also went and saw where I church currently is and will be. You see the sign in the picture to the right? Yes, our church meets upstairs behind that sign, with no ventilation and very little space. 'Vide em Cristo' is the name. It means life in Christ. We have a new space just purchased which needs to be renovated into a church that they will move into ASAP, because it's difficult meeting upstairs of an oil change/car mechanic business. We also help out an english school called Young's English Club (see pictures below and to left) and we went and spoke with the kids today...they were adorable, asking us what we liked to do, what our favorite food was and if Brazil was really hot for us Americans. Brazilians are very friendly and very apt to help you out with your very bad portuguese. Some understand my spanish. The spanish speakers say speaking portuguese is like speaking spanish with hot oatmeal in your mouth. The portuguese say speaking spanish is like speaking portugues with a hot potato in your mouth. We all have our ways of communicating, I like to go with speaking a mix of bad portuguese, mixed with spanish and english with a good deal of arm waving and gesturing so they know for sure I'm crazy. Our group has decided that our favorite portuguese word is "paralelapepedo" (pa-da-lel-la-pee-pee-doo). It's what they call the hexogonal shaped bricks that line their streets and we drive on. It's just a fun word! Tomorrow we continue to work in the favelas and we have church tomorrow night. I have more to tell and show you all but this entry is quite long so another time!

Below is a picture of our entire group that came down from Montana. From right to left: Garrett, Taylor, Tim, and Kerry; Sydney and I are in the front.

Brazil or Bust...

Ha ha! Silly Americans or not, Brazil you've let us in! We arrived this morning about 9am eastern time...we flew into the Sao Paolo airport about 1.5 hrs from our destination, Cubatao just south. Sao Paolo is the second largest city in the world allegedly (depends on who you ask) with just over 17 million people. It takes 1.5 hrs just to get out of the city and onto roads that will actually take you to your destination. We are on the southeast coast...pretty much the Amazon turns into an Atlantic rainforest thats been filleted apart by development so once you leave the city of Sao Paolo you are immediately entrenched in the rainforest dotted with occasional 'favelas' before you smack into Cubatao. See side photo for 'favela'. We encountered some interesting methods of transporting goods while driving and of course as with any central or south american country, it's pedestrain at your own risk. We got to the mission house and promptly passed out. We everyone had regained somewhat of their sanity after having traveled 12 hours by plane, yes trevor I know this doesn't compare to your flight to Africa, but this is my blog ;p...Aaron, one of the missionaries took us on a tour of the soccer stadium where Pele won title after title in soccer. Afterwards, we stopped by the youth center and then headed out to dinner. Below is a picture of me and Barbara, Pastor's wife, she's 5 mos pregnant and as sweet as can be. She was surprised that I was older than her, apparently I don't look older in Brazil anymore than I do in the U.S. They were all very wonderful to us. We had swedish meatballs for lunch--ha ha! They were delicious--for those of you who are drawing blanks, swedish meatballs was the last dinner I made for the boys before I left. The desserts were passion fruit mousse and flan...woohoo! It's been 4 years since I was last enveloped in the smell of the Amazon, yes I realize I am waxing poetic now and I don't care, at least you don't have to read my journal which is one big long stream of conciousness working it's way into some semblance of understanding--I realized how much I missed South America. Tomorrow we head out to tour the various ministries that the missionaries are putting together and seeing where the need is. Then we will head out to the favelas and meet the children. I am very excited! I've met 15 new friends in a matter of one day and they are all so passionate about what they are doing that it's intoxicating. I am happy I came.

Life, Love, and Pursuit of more food Vouchers!

So I bet you all were expecting a post from Brazil...well alas despite a valiant effort, we are stuck in Chicago the Windy, cold city. Althought today is quite beautiful. After a full day of traveling we were detained in Denver with a delayed flight getting us into Chicago with only 10 min to travel to a different concourse to catch our Sao Paolo flight. Garrett ran ahead in hopes of making them wait for 5 other people. But when he got there they'd just closed the doors (about 5 min. before departure time) and they wouldn't let him hold the plane for the other 5 individuals who were getting in touch with their inner Iron Man and running up and down escalators to get to the plane. Oh well, we said, he waved to the pilots through the glass windows though...and everywhere, Brazilians are saying "ha ha...silly americains". OH WELL. So here we are, having spent the evening at the airport hotel, our new flight not leaving until this evening. So we have a day of adventure in Chicago ahead of us.

So the United representative is checking us into a new flight and Kerry (Garrett, Taylor, and Syndey's Mom) asks for food vouchers and hotel vouchers. So the lady gives us 6 $10 food vouchers. Now, I'll put up pictures later, but Garrett, Taylor, and Tim (their dad) are 6'3 easy--they are formidible big men :)...do you think someone like that can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner for $10? And so began the process of haggling for more food vouchers with the United representative to feed 6 people until 9pm the next night. Nope, we are not in South America yet, the haggling went unheeded...so United believes we should eat frugally while in Chicago.

So here we be, we'll venture out today and catch our flight tonight and hopefully my next post will be from Brazil! No pictures or more writing, because internet is hellashously expensive here! But love to you all!

Brazil: When, Where, Why, and How...

So I have succumbed to the blogging addiction via myspace and decided that I will attempt to keep a blog while I am in Brazil. Ironically enough, this might be the only post! Depending on internet availability in my spot I may not be able to post. But I am an avid journal-er so I will post when I get back--so either way those of you who have the desire, interest, or sheer boredom have something to read about!

SO, many people have said to me "Brazil?...huh?" So now it's T-minus one day and I thought I ought to explain the method to my madness because this was kind of a split decision for me, kind of not.

So, I am headed down to Cubatao, Brazil. My church has a mission down there and they are in need of help finishing some construction and repairs on the mission as well as in their English schools. They teach English for free down there in the 'favelas' or rural/poorer communities outside the city. Cubatao, used to be known as the 'valley of death' it was so polluted: www.fluoridealert.org/pollution/1252.html but it is also the poster child for environmental cleanup and reform so the mortality rate has gone down: http://forests.org/archive/brazil/brvallde.htm. I wanted to try and post a picture of Cubatao for you all but for some reason, the link to add an image does not want to work for me! Argh!

Anyway, I decided in church one day that I was going to go. When? Spring break...if that hasn't become obvious! Where: Cubatao, the once most polluted city in the world just south of the once murder capital of the world 'Rio'--although now it's some city in Jamaica that's the 'new' murder capital of the world! Woohoo... How: We fly out of Billings tomorrow (Saturday) and we get back the 20th-ish.

Why: I wanted a refocus. My whole existence I feel in Bozeman has been very 'me'-centered ever since I got here. And in fact it is my life so it should be 'me'-centered if that makes any sense...probably not but you'll have to indulge my psychoses if you plan on reading my blogs. It's been about my issues, my relationships, my thesis, my inability to get up a 5.9 (for all you climbers out there), my endeavors...in all honesty, I'm kinda sick of 'me' right now and wanted to focus on something other end of the spectrum that matters. Not that I don't think I matter but I want to walk away from the self-centeredness that I feel is creeping up on me...something I absolutely abhor. This is my 5th year, I'll be finishing up my thesis soon and moving on. While I've been in Bozeman I've had incredible highs and beyond crappy lows...I feel I've lost touch with apart of who I am by being here and focusing on things that have caused that part of me to fade. I think I'm kind of hoping to reclaim that, I'm hoping this recenters me on the part I thought or think I am losing. If anything, I will be of as much help as I can, leaving my past emotional and physical baggage here, dig apart of me out of the back of the closet and come back re-focused and hopefully whole.

Deep thoughts...I know! OK, so I don't want to end my first and possibly only blog on a downer note so check out some deep thoughts from SNL guru Jack Handey! http://farstrider.net/DeepThoughts/Handey.htm and I will hopefully be touch during my trip and if not, you'll hear about it after!